Steff Secola was joking the first time she mentioned it. But it turned into an experience she wouldn’t forget.

Secola — a 2009 Lenape Valley graduate and 2013 Lebanon Valley College grad — had played softball most of her life. But this past spring she worked as an assistant coach, seeing what life on the other side was like.

“At the end of my senior year (of college), we came back from Regionals after losing,” Secola recalled, “and I was kind of joking around with Coach (LVC head coach Stacey Hollinger). I was like, ‘Coach, grad assistant next year?’ And she said, ‘I would love you to.’”

Secola did serve as one of Hollinger’s assistants this past season, working mainly with the catchers. Fitting, because it was the position Secola played mostly in college ball. She also helped the Flying Dutchmen forge their way to the NCAA Division III Regionals as a coach this year, as she had done as a player last year.

And Secola handled her coaching duties while pursuing her doctorate in Physical Therapy.

“It was hard at first,” she said, “but I like being busy. And during softball season, I always did better in school because I needed to have time management. I knew I would have to put in more time at night (coaching for Lebanon Valley), but that wasn’t a big deal because I’m pretty much a night owl.”

Secola, of Netcong, had a stellar playing career leading up to her coaching job. She came up through the rec softball ranks and became a stalwart of Lenape Valley’s varsity softball program. As a Lenape senior pitcher-first baseman in 2009, she helped the Patriots bag their first state tournament victory in five years, and was an All-Herald second-teamer as a result of that last high school season.

Secola did not catch an inning for the Patriots, but had played the position in her early rec ball days, and was recruited as a pitcher-first baseman-catcher by Lebanon Valley. “She (Hollinger) was just looking at either-or,” Secola said of Hollinger’s ideas for how Secola might be utilized.

After getting mostly designated hitter at-bats as a 2010 Lebanon Valley freshman, Hollinger asked Secola to be a catcher again, more specifically to become a starting collegiate catcher. “I just remember her saying, ‘I’m completely confident with you behind the plate. ... I know you’re going to do what you need to do,’” Secola said. “That gave me the confidence I needed. That’s just how Coach was. She was so good at giving you that positive reinforcement.”

Secola was the Flying Dutchmen’s starting catcher in her sophomore and junior seasons, sometimes working both ends of a doubleheader, playing catcher in one and designated hitter in the other. In between her junior and senior seasons, though, she had shoulder surgery, which wound up spelling the end of her days behind the plate.

“It was really upsetting for me,” Secola said. “I should’ve come back better (from the surgery). I went at it a little too soon and started to throw before I was ready. ... I started compensating a little bit with my throw, so it wasn’t as strong. It was just goofy.

“As soon as I knew I wasn’t going to be catching, I got better at my hitting, so it worked out.”

Secola, after all, had been primarily a hitter during her freshman season. She preferred being a position player, but was grateful for a chance to be in the lineup, a chance to swing the bat.

“I think hitting was always my favorite,” she said. “It was just so awesome to get up there with two outs, 3-2 count, you have to get a hit to keep the game going. Sometimes you didn’t do it, sometimes you did. That’s also what softball taught me. There’s up and downs. ... You’ve got to take the bad with the good. You’re going to strike out, you’re going to ground out and pop out. That’s the main thing it taught me — you have to keep moving no matter what happens.”

Secola kept moving indeed after her injury, helping Lebanon Valley to a Commonwealth Conference championship and a deep run in the NCAA Tournament last year. The Flying Dutchmen stormed to the Regional finals, coming up just a win shy of traveling to Wisconsin for Nationals, when they lost to Cortland State.

Secola had been integral to the team’s success, with individual numbers that really stood out — a .307 batting average, a .520 slugging percentage, six home runs and 34 RBI, a team-high.

Since Secola’s playing days were over but her college days were not, the role of graduate coaching assistant seemed a perfect fit. Hollinger, along with her assistant coaches Ralph Carfagno and Scott Adams, had full plates, considering all it took to run the team, so they were glad for the help. Secola, whose previous coaching experience was working with 7-through-14 year-olds at summer softball camps, was glad for a new challenge.

“It was really nice,” she said, “because this was my first time working with college players. I had done softball camps for the past five years since I graduated high school. It was nice to see the difference; the older girls didn’t need as much work. It was just little tweaking instead of full-on mechanics.”

Secola wasn’t coaching just any college players. They were, for the most part, her former teammates, so at times it was like discussing softball with old pals.

“That’s kind of what it seemed like,” Secola said. “It was just like talking to my friend about their swing.”

As had been the case in her playing career, Secola had Hollinger to guide her. “I was coaching,” Secola said, “but she was basically teaching me how to coach. She was giving me pointers all year.”

Secola says Adams — LVC’s well-respected pitching coach — even delegated some important coaching responsibilities in one game. “I convinced him to let me call the pitches,” Secola said. “I wish he’d let me do it more often. I’ve been a pitcher and I was a catcher. I know the mindset of a pitcher.”

By late spring, Lebanon Valley was back in the Regional finals, losing this time to Kean University. Not as far as the team wanted to go, obviously, but another memorable season for sure. “It was very cool,” Secola said, “being part of it as a player, then being part of it as a coach.”

Secola will be back coaching the Flying Dutchmen in fall ball, but as of now, doesn’t expect to return next spring. Her Physical Therapy classwork ends in December, and she will be busy with clinical work during the following semester.

But, Secola might be interested in doing some coaching again at some point. “I love the sport,” she said. “I’ve been playing it forever. (Coaching) gave me the chance to stick with it.”

And even if she doesn’t, her coaching experiences could serve her well in life.

“Being a physical therapist, you need time management skills,” Secola said. “You need to explain exercises. Softball, you need to explain to people what they’re doing wrong. So I think it’ll definitely help in my career.”

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